Pneumatic signaling apparatus



(No Model.)

F. SUHIEFPLE-R. I PNEUMATIC SIGNALING APPARATUS.

No. 571,315. P'aJtentedjNov. 10, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE.

FRED soniEErLER, OF WEST BAY orrr, nrcnrcnn.

PNEUMATIC SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 571,315, dated November10, 1896 Application filed March 13, 1896. Serial No. 583,138. (Nomodel.)

To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED SCHIEFFLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at West Bay City, in the county of Bay and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in DiaphragmaticSignal Apparatus for Railroacl-Trains; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in a diaphragmatic signal apparatusfor railroadtrains; and it consists in the arrangement and constructionof the parts with theobject of producingimprovements in a pneumaticsignal device which will blow a signal-whistle from compressed air.

A further object of the invention is to construct a device in aneconomic and durable manner and in such a way that access may be had toits parts conveniently and expeditiously.

A further object of the invention is to provide a signal apparatus whichwill be simple and compact, which may be placed in the engineers cab andbut little room utilized thereby, and at the same time simple and cheapin its design and manufacture.

The invention consists in the novel c011- struction and combination ofthe several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointedout in the claims. 1

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar numerals of reference indicatecorresponding parts in the illustrations.

Figure 1 is an exterior View of a pneumatic signal apparatus whichembodies my invention. Fig. 2 is a partial vertical section of Fig. 1,showing the mechanism of the same.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a cylindrical-shaped chamberwhich is provided with threaded lugs 2 2 011 its ends and splitlongitudinally and forming half-sections 4 and 5 thereby. The uppersection iris provided with an inlet-lug 6, provided with an opening 7,and a whistle supporting-lug 8, which is provided with an opening 9.

10 is the inlet-lug to the lower section 5, and 11 is its openingwithin.

12 is the outlet-lug, provided with an open ing 13 therein.

11 is a diaphragm which is placed between the sections I and 5 and issecured by means of screwing the nuts 15 15 on the threaded lugs 2 2,which clamp the said diaphragm 14 thereby and form separate compartmentstherein.

The diaphragm 14 is provided with a perforated opening 16, which iscentrally located and directly opposite the whistle-valve seat, which isprovided in the lower endof the openin 9 of the whistle-support 8, alsodirectly opposite the lower inlet-valve seat 17, which is provided inthe upper end of the opening 11 of the lower inletlug 1O.

18 is the whistle-valve, and 19 is its stem, which is provided with ashoulder 20.

21 and 22 are disks or washers which are I provided with perforatedholes or openings centrally located at 23 and 24.

The disks 21 and 22 are placed directly opposite each other and on theopposite sides of the diaphragm 14 with their holes or openings 23 and21 directly opposite the hole or opening 16 of the said diaphragm 14.The stem 19 is then inserted therein with its lower end projectingthrough the lower washer 22 and all said parts clamped together by meansof the shoulder'20, resting upon the upper side of the upper disk orwasher 21, and the nut 25 screwed up and against the lower disk orwasher 22. i

26 is the lower inlet or auxiliary valve, and 27 is its stem, which isprovided with an enlargement 28 on its lower end.

29 is the auxiliary spring, and 30 is-a nipple which is provided with aninner boss or contraction at its upper end.

The lower inlet-valve stem 27 has its upper end projecting above itsvalve 26 to a suffi= 31 is the pipe that leads to the compressedairapartment, which is shown broken off, and is connected to the verticalpipes 32 and 33 by means of a T-joint at 34.

The upper apartment 4 receives its air by way of the pipe 32, which isconnected to a horizontal union 35 by means of an elbow 36,

IOO

35 being connected to the vertical inlet-nipple 37 by means of the elbow38, and the lower apartment 5 receives its air by way of the verticalpipe 33, being connected to the horizontal union 39 by means of theelbow 4:0, 39 being connected to the nipple 30 by means of the elbow 41.

42 represents the pipe which is connected to the lower apartment 5 bymeans of the opening 13, provided in the lug 12 and screwed therein, andits opposite end connected to the train-pipe 43 by means of the elbow44.

In practice by opening an exhaust-valve in the train-pipe 43 I exhaust asuflicient quantity of air from the lower apartment 5 to permit thecenter of the diaphragm 14 to sway downward, which opens thewhistle-valve 18 and blows the whistle a5 thereby, and at the same timeopens the lower valve 26, which admits the air to the lower apartment 5.When the train-pipe is closed, the diaphragm 14 is pressed upward andthe whistle-valve closed by the equal pressure of air and the auxiliaryspring 29, which holds the said whistle-valve in its position by meansof the upper end of the lower valve-stem 27, resting against the lowerend of the upper valvestem at 46 and pressing against the same.

The lower valve is provided with a small perforated port 47 for thepurpose of supplying a sufficient quantity of air which may be lost byleaks or other causes from the trainpipe 43, whereby an equal pressuremaybe kept in the apartments relating thereto.

In taking the device apart for repairs or other causes it is onlynecessary to detach the unions 35 and 30. Then by removing the annularnuts 15 15 the upper apartment 4 is easily detached from the lowerapartment 5, whereby the time and trouble of removing bolts is avoidedand at the same time producing a device that may be set up in theengineers cab which will take up but little space and is simple andcheap in its design and manufacture.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a pneumatic signal apparatus for railway-trains, twosubstantially-alike chambers provided with inlet and outlet connectionson opposite sides, a dividing flexible diaphragm therefor, an openingtherein, the disks or washers 22, and 23, provided with openingstherein, the nut 25, the whistle-valve stem 10, provided with the valve18 near its upper end and the shoulder 20, the said disks placed onopposite sides of the said diaphragm with their openings directlyopposite the said opening in the said diaphragm and the saidwhistle-stem inserted therein against the said shoulder 20 and securedthereto by the nut 25, the lower valve-stem 27, the auxiliary valve 26,and the nipple 30, the said lower valve-stem provided with the valve 26,provided with the port 47, and the enlargement on its lower end, withits upper end resting against the lower end of the said upper valve stemand its lower end resting on the upper side of the auxiliary spring 29,the lower end of the said auxiliary spring resting on and supported bythe upper end of the lower inlet-nipple substantially as described.

2. In a pneumatic signal apparatus for railroad-trains the combinationof a cylindricalshaped chamber 1 split longitudinal in twosubstantially-alike parts provided with the upper inlet-lug 6 the lowerinlet-lug 10 and whistle-supporting lug 8 and the threaded lugs 2, 2, onits ends, the nuts 15, 15, in combination with the vertical pipe 32, and33 and the T-joint 34, the said vertical pipes connected thereby, theunions 35 and 3.) and the elbows 36 and the upper inlet-nipple 37 andthe elbow 38 the lower inlet-nipple 30 the elbow 41 and the whistle 45combined with the diaphragm 14c the washers 21 and 22 the uppervalve-stem 19 the nut 25 the lower valve-stem 27 and the spring 29 allsaid parts combined substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRED SCIIIEFFLER.

Vitnesses:

JOHN S. FITZGERALD, ADA GREGG.

